Somalia’s unity and/or fragmentation has come to focus lately and in particular with respect to the recognition of a region, Somaliland, by a UN member state, albeit one with its own unwelcome recent histories. Many, however, overlook Somalia’s geostrategic location both for global maritime and aerospace  routes. A unified Somalia is, therefore, vital not only for its own people but is also profoundly important for the global community. 

A stable, unified and secure Somalia overlooking one of the world’s most strategic maritime routes and airspace serves international security, economic stability, and the principles of global order far better than a patchwork of fragmented, clan-based statelets competing for power along its coast. History, political philosophy, and international experience all point to the same conclusion: unity, though difficult, is wiser than disintegration.

From the perspective of global trade, airspace and maritime security, Somalia’s unity carries exceptional weight. The country sits astride the Gulf of Aden and the approaches to the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint through which a significant share of the world’s commerce and energy supplies passes. It also controls a vast airspace covering nearly half of the northwestern Indian ocean. 

Classical thinkers such as Thucydides understood that geography shapes destiny; control of strategic corridors determines not only local power but international stability. A unified Somali state can exercise clear authority over its territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone and airspace, enforce maritime and IATA laws, and cooperate coherently with international partners to suppress piracy, trafficking, and illegal fishing and/or air piracy. 

Fragmentation, by contrast, creates overlapping claims, legal........

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